HYDERABAD, March 25: Provincial secretary of the Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union, Mr Iqbal Qaimkhani, has opposed privatization of the Wapda Faisalabad Company and the Jamshoro power house.
He said that after privatization power tariff would increase manifold.
In a statement issued here on Saturday, he appealed to the president to reject the pressure of the World Bank and the IMF as experience had proved beyond any doubt that privatization of Wapda would not be in the interest of the country.
He said that Indonesia and Thailand had refused the World Bank pressure to privatize power and added that this experiment had also failed in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, California and India.
He said that when Kot Addu power house was privatized, the government was forced to purchase power at the rate of Rs6 per unit and charge only Rs4 per unit from the consumers causing huge losses to Wapda.
He appealed to political parties and general public to oppose the privatisation of Wapda.
He said that Wapda employees would observe protest day throughout Pakistan against privatization on April 5.
He said that Wapda employees would not allow its privatization whatever the cost.
WALK: A large number of people and students under the banner of the directorate of the TB Control, Sindh, staged a walk from the Hyderabad Gymkhana to Hyderabad press club to mark the World TB Day.
Participants of the walk carried banners and placards inscribed with different slogans against TB.
Representatives of the Aga Khan Health Service, Asia Foundation, Anti-TB Association Sindh, Sindh Health Organization and other NGOs participated in the walk.
District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil, Dr Iqtedar Ahmed, WHO representatives Dr Nazir Ahmed Shaikh and Najma and EDO health Dr Nazar Mohammad Junejo led the walk.
Speaking on the occasion, Kanwar Naveed Jamil said that TB has spread like an epidemic and added that this menace could only be eradicated with cooperation of all members of the society.
Dr Iqtedar said that among the 22 high risk countries, Pakistan was at number six.
He said that 250,000 people were afflicted with TB in Pakistan every year.
EDO health Dr Nazar Mohammad Junejo said that nine TB diagnostic centres were working in Pakistan where free treatment was provided to patients.
WHO representative Dr Nazir Shaikh said that 100 per cent treatment to TB patient was provided in Sindh through scientific DOTS method.
